NSBA Statement on U.S. House Vote on Vouchers
For Release
September 10, 2003
Contact: Linda Embrey, Press Office
703-838-6737; press@nsba.org
Statement by Anne L. Bryant
Executive Director, National School Boards Association
NSBA Disappointed in U.S. House Voucher Vote
While we appreciate the many members of Congress, particularly Republican members, who voted to oppose vouchers, NSBA is disappointed by the House’s 209-208 vote to divert millions of taxpayer dollars from public schools for private school vouchers. We are disappointed at the number of members who missed this crucial vote impacting public education nationwide. And, as evidenced by the unorthodox voting procedures, it is clear that majority support in the House is as illusory as the grand promises made by voucher proponents.
Not too long ago, the U.S. Congress approved new accountability requirements for public schools, as part of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The U.S. House made a u-turn on that road to public accountability in education and threw the door open for waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Even the most basic accountability standards required of public schools will not be required of private schools accepting taxpayer funded vouchers.
The federal government is demanding more of our public schools than ever before and while our schools are up to the challenge, it is imperative that Congress lives up to its own obligations and fully funds the mandates it has placed on our public schools.
The September 2003 Phi Delta Kappa /Gallup poll found that 60 percent of Americans oppose private school vouchers, an 8 percent gain in opposition from 2002.
NSBA is a national federation of state and territorial school boards associations that represent more than 95,000 school board members who govern the nation's public schools. Our mission is to foster excellence and equity in public elementary and secondary education throughout the United States through local school board leadership.
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